Wanted to relate something that I saw at my trap club today and hopefully get some opinions.

First let me say, that many of TFL members have been helpful in my new trap shooting addiction, and most of the "real" trap shooters at the club have been very accomodating with my questions and newbie whatnot. I'm still shooting with my 870, FWIW.

First thing was I was in a squad of 4 shooting 4'th. There was an older gentleman (maybe 70) in pos. 3 who is really nice, and I have chatted with him before. He knows what he is doing...usually dusts 22-24 in the squads I've shot with him. Apparently he made a safety faux paus while changing stations. With his O/U broken open, he slid his shell in the lower barrel while moving to the next station. He DIDN'T CLOSE the action, just loaded the shell in the chamber. Well, the guy in pos. 2 came over to the guy and went slightly berserk, saying that he shouldn't do that and was, IMO, kind of a jerk about it...saying: "you have a problem with that?" and stuff like that.

My question: is it wrong to put a shell in the chamber with it open when changing positions? I can see maybe it is, but with the action open I can hardly see it as a safety concern. The thing that kinda rubbed me the wrong way, was that the guy who complained went gloating all over the club after that squad about how he told the guy off (the older gentleman, obviously embarassed, left)...I noticed that when he told the story of what happened, he never mentioned that the action was broken open the whole time.

So, fast forward to my last 16 yd squad. I was the scrub, as usual, in pos. 2, and the gloating guy from the other story was in the squad. Two late comers walked in with auto SGs, and the gloating guy refused to shoot in the squad with two autos without shell catchers. He just huffed and walked off. I wondered if my paltry 870 (and subsequent 22) offended him as badly.

Is this guy just a trap snob? If he is in the right, then fine, but I have to admit that even though I'm a confident guy, with good safety habits, having a guy like that in the squad messes with my concentration. If this is common, I need some tips on blocking these guys out.

Sorry for the length.

-Kevin

DML

September 16, 2001, 02:44 AM

The guy is a jerk! He is right about the shell in the chamber, but that's no excuse for being a jerk. A normal person could have handled the situation by quietly pointing out that is not a good idea to place a shell in the barrel until you are on station.

These self-important slobs don't seem to understand that almost everyone around them is laughing behind their backs. As far as stalking off the field because he didn't want to shoot near auto-loaders, good riddance.

I was once walking around at a black powder match when one of these jerks came running up yelling at me to remove the cap from the nipple on my rifle. When I quietly pointed out that it was a nipple protector and not a cap, the jerk stalked off like I had insulted him. Geez!

Dave McC

September 16, 2001, 08:17 AM

Spazz, it's the Bozo Factor....

"It only takes one clown to #$%^&*() it up for everyone"....

The jerk was right about the shell, open action or not. But, he was acting like an orifice, and I doubt I would have not have attempted to improve his behavior.Old COs like me tend to direct action.

People like this are not common among trapshooters, but they do happen, just like any other field of endeavor. An old thread about Jerks at the Range I wrote a while back may have some input for you.

And, while I've been pelted a bit by autos w/o catchers, it's so minor a prob that I basically just keep some rubber bands with me at the range, and donate one to the cause as needed. A kind word and a cheap rubber band fix the prob a heckuva lot better than stalking off the range and leaving in a late model Huff....

BTW, the ones that comes wrapped around a bunch of celery work great on 1100s....

C.R.Sam

September 16, 2001, 08:58 AM

Sounds like the guy from station 2 has a major attitude problem. If he is that way all the time he bears watching....likely he loses controll and becomes an unsafe shooter, driver etc.

Sam

Mr.X

September 16, 2001, 09:58 AM

I too have been bitten by the TRAP bug....but where I shoot...so far there have been no problems with people like you describe. To me...its all about fun. I have shot Trap with my Mossberg 500...an old J.C. Higgins pump with some kind of funky full choke/compensator looking thing on the muzzle...and lately with my Sporting Clays O/U....and I can't hit the targets very well with any of them....still I have fun...meeting new people...some old guys who were in WWII...and their stories...its way cool........like they say....theres one in every crowd. Good luck....and have FUN!

Dave McC

September 16, 2001, 01:23 PM

By and large, trap shooters tend to be helpful, friendly folks. This jerk, IMO, would have been just as much a jerk on the skeet or SC range, or at the weheel of his vehicle.

Some people are just plain toxic.

As for the Geezers, one I know was a Command pilot in the 8th AF, flying a B-24. I wish I could tape his stories, I've learned a lot about my Dad from a man that never met him.

biganimal

September 17, 2001, 05:17 PM

the fellow with the shell in the gun was wrong but the other guy, the loudmouth, was really stupid !!! Never yell at a guy holding a loaded gun !!!! very stupid!!!!